Merciful God

[rschampine]

If you knew that your 16 year old son was going to die in a firey car crash at age 30, would you prevent him from getting his driver’s license?

If you knew that accident was going to be the result of alcohol abuse, would you never allow him to have a glass of wine?

If you you knew that he was going to drink to excess because he was going to get in a disturbing argument with his wife, would you let him marry her - or even date her earlier in his life?

I know that sex outside of marriage is destructive to the soul. Is it my fault that others destroy their souls in this manner?

 

[rschampine]

Another thing to remember is that God does not wave a magic wand and “poof” we’re born. We, as mother or father, play a cooperative role in that creation.

With that power comes a tremendous responsibility to cooperate with God in helping to bring our children back to the Father.

If we truly will this for ourselves and our children (To get back to the Father that is…), God will provide the grace to make this possible.

God has given us the map, which leads us back to the Father. He has revealed this “map” through Sacred Scripture, Tradition of the Church, and the Magesterium. It is through this map that He guarantees us the grace we need, as food for our odysee.

 

[Shibboleth]

I realize some of this will contradict RC teachings, in which case just say, “silly protestant.” I just wanted to add my bit of knowledge on the subject.

Hell or Hel is not a Greek or Latin word it is a Norse word that first showed up in the King James I believe. One problem that has arisen is that the word Hell has been used improperly as a blanket word for a few words in the Bible.

Gehenna probably should not have the name Hell applied to the word. Gehenna or Ge Hinnom stands for the Hinnom Valley. I guess the most accurate translation is Gai-Ben-Hinnom or Valley of the Son of Hinnom.

The valley was originally used to sacrifice babies and other things in Baal worship.

They built high places for Baal in the Valley of Ben Hinnom to sacrifice their sons and daughters to Molech, Jer32v35.

This valley became a place where garbage, the dead bodies of animals, and the bodies of criminals and other people thought to have lost their soles were cast. It is said that sulfur was thrown into the valley to create an everlasting fire in which to burn the refuse

Knowing that criminals were cast into this fire this verse becomes clearer.

NAB Matt 5:30
And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna.

I really think that Gehenna means the second death – the death of our soul. So no once your soul is dead you do not have a second chance – you are no more.

“Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.” Mt10v28.

Do some research on Tophet if you are interested in this also.

Hades is a different place. In ancient Greece Hades was not a place of torment but more a place like Purgatory. In the Old Testament they used the word Sheol. So yes, some verses do make it seem that one can have a second chance in Hell but this is not the case. Sheol and Hades are not Hell.